Crustacean · copepod

Giant Arctic copepod

Calanus hyperboreus

PacificAtlanticIndianSouthernArctic Found in 2 oceans

Depth

Near the surface in spring and summer, spends the winter between about 500 and 3,000 m

Size

Up to about 7 mm

Diet

Microscopic algae, mainly diatoms

Zone

Twilight zone · 200 – 1,000 m

Key facts

• It is one of the largest copepods in the Arctic, but it measures only about 7 mm.
• Before winter, fat can make up more than 65% of its dry weight.
• It lays its eggs in the middle of winter, at depth, without eating, using its reserves.
• By overwintering at depth, it carries carbon down to the deep sea. This is called the “lipid pump”.

Verified sources

1. Smithsonian Ocean : Arctic copepod
2. Hirche & Niehoff 1996, Polar Biology : reproduction de Calanus hyperboreus en mer du Groenland
3. Visser et al. 2017, Calanus hyperboreus and the lipid pump (DTU)
4. Falk-Petersen et al. 2009, Lipids and life strategy of Arctic Calanus

In the game: Prey: +2 points

In the same zone

Northern wolffishAnarhichas denticulatus Orange siphonophoreMarrus orthocanna Giant warty squidMoroteuthopsis longimana (formerly Kondakovia longimana) Ice anemoneEdwardsiella andrillae Black prince copepodGaussia princeps Crystal amphipodCystisoma sp.